Spring Break to Mallorca

Our Spring break trip to Mallorca had it all: Oma and Opa (on their first visit since 2019), beautiful scenery, an amazing AirBnB, warm, sunny weather, beach days, hill towns, and good food and wine.

We'd visited this Mediterranean, Spanish island in the summer of 2019 with friends, but it was so hot, that we had very little motivation to sightsee. Spring seemed like the ideal time to see the capital and hill towns of this beautiful island. 

Snow-capped Pyrennes 

So gorgeous

I found an AirBnB 20 minutes outside of Palma in the charming village of Puigpunyent in the Serra de Tramuntana World Heritage mountains. The only catch was that it was only 50% refundable, so it felt like a big gamble to book back in November, given the uncertainties of COVID. This was our first April break trip outside of the Netherlands in 3 years and we were so grateful! 

The house was super kid-friendly: big trampoline, treehouse, outdoor pool table, outdoor foosball table, resident chickens, lemon and orange trees free for the picking, and more. The views out to the mountain range were spectacular. We knew it wouldn't be warm enough to enjoy the pool, but really hope to come back to this paradise another time to take advantage of it! It was just a 5-minute walk into the village, which had a few restaurants, a grocery store, and a bakery. 

Our first morning was spent enjoying the property. The hosts had stocked the fridge for us so we had a breakfast feast. 

Great outdoor living/dining area + outdoor shower and bathroom.

Roof view

Treehouse cuddles

We could have spent all day at the house, but we had a time-sensitive adventure to go on. I found a ropes course for kids 4-11 years old, but it was only open on the weekends. It was a few minutes' drive from the coast so we spent the early afternoon at the course and then headed to the beach with some take-away sushi. 

Jude had done a ropes course for a birthday party once, so he was off in a flash completing the course on his own. We knew Maeve would need a little extra support and worried she would get frustrated or scared, but she rocked it. She was only sad she couldn't do the last 2 sections as she was too short. 

Playa d'Illetes

The water was cold! 

We took advantage of the outdoor kitchen and grilled. The beer tap was free-flowing all week (the AirBnB came with a 30L keg of beer!).

 

Jude is 8!

Our sweet, sensitive, smart, curious boy is 8! His special day started as all should, with a bowl of Lucky Charms. He celebrated with his baseball team after school before dinner (sushi and gyoza- his request), with cupcakes and presents. Still big into Pokemon, brainteasers, strategy games, and now, Bakugan.

After two pandemic birthdays, he was so excited to celebrate with friends playing Lasertag and jumping at Fun Center Amstelveen. And we were happy to not have our house covered in corn starch like last year! 

We love you big guy! 

Colorado Girls Trip!

Two dear friends (one high school, one college) live near each other in Colorado and I had the great fortune of getting to visit them both at the end of March. And the even greater fortune of having two other friends fly out to see us! One girl's trip is a dream come true, but two back-to-back was too almost good to be true. 

The epic girls' trip was spent day drinking, eating, walking, talking, hiking, and shopping. All of my favorite things with some of my very favorite people. I arrived with a heavy heart from the situation in Ukraine and left feeling much lighter thanks to the love of my people. 

I was so excited to see Gia's new house in Boulder and meet her fiance (!!), Michael, and the life they have built for themselves. I hadn't seen Gia since Christmas 2018! Amelia, who I hadn't seen since the summer of 2017, flew from Yakima, Washington for our mini Bowdoin reunion!

We started out our weekend together checking out the Frozen Dead Man Days Festival in Nederland. Holy America. That was a lot to take in fresh off the plane from the old world! And yes, the festival is based on a man who is cryogenically frozen in a Tuff shed in this town. 

We're not in Kansas anymore! 

The Hearse parade

We missed the coffin races, opting for time at the local brewery instead. 

She dazzles! 

On our way to the Carousel of Happiness! 

 

Have you seen anyone happier to be on an ostrich?! 

Four Polar Bears

Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

Chautauqua Park with the Flat Irons

Flagstaff

Hello Mountains! 

The second half of my trip was to see high school friend, Rachel, who had her 2020 wedding canceled due to COVID. She ended up having a small, immediate family-only wedding last year so I had never met her husband, Brandon! I couldn't wait! Aimee flew from Maryland to join in the fun! 

I was picked up in Boulder and we continued driving to Rocky Mountain National Park. It had started snowing that morning and I was so excited, not having had any snow in Amsterdam all winter. The snow continued to lightly fall for our whole time in the mountains. 

Checking out the Stanley Hotel

Catching awkward gazes by the fire. 

The others didn't share my enthusiasm about the snow, but I didn't care. 

Elk spotting from our condo in Estes Park. 

Rocky Mountain National Park

Mule Deer

Headed out for a walk around Sprague lake. The trail around the lake was hard to find with all the snow and we ended up in the middle of the lake. Thankfully the ice was very solid! 

Whoops, looks like we should be over there! 

Getting out of dodge.

Next up was a hike around/on Bear Lake.

And continuing on to Nymph lake. I loved hiking in the peaceful snow. 

Back in Denver, we met a few of Rachel's friends for happy hour so I was nice and sauced when I got to meet Brandon. The rest of the trip was spent in Denver, eating, and shopping at Target. This is the first year I've had access to American candy for Easter and I may have gone a bit overboard. 

Final dinner out with Rachel and Gia. 

Morning at the Denver Botanic Garden before my flight. 

Getting a solo week away felt like a big ask of Pete, who was sick while I was gone, but he managed beautifully. I'm hoping for more of this special girl time in the future! So good for the soul. Thank you to my gracious Colorado hosts and their partners for a great visit!